Salvation on the Small Screen?: 24 Hours of Christian Television

Editorial Reviews. Review. “Laugh-out-loud hysterically funny and also extraordinarily poignant—we need more theology done like this.” —Dr. Douglas Gay.
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What results is an insightful and witty look at the world of popular evangelical television as seen through the eyes of a mainline Christian minister. Nadia's critique at times is funny, biting, and sarcastic. We'd expect that from her since she is better known by her online moniker: Sep 09, Mary rated it really liked it.

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I thought the author was just going to bash TBN while I gleefully agreed with her. Instead she offered insight on how there were holes in her own tradition and how she could better them. It helped me realize I need to be less snooty when it come to other denominations. Feb 20, Melanie Long added it Shelves: Very enjoyable; made me laugh and at the same time think about my own beliefs. May 23, Rebecca Cynamon-murphy rated it it was amazing. More than just snark but the snark is also particularly good.

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May 29, Meghan Davis strader rated it liked it. I thought this book was way too important to be quite so sarcastic. Does God owe us a return on our tithe investment fold? Apr 12, Alex Adams rated it it was amazing. I had this recommended to me by my Jewish sister. It brings to light sooo many problems with evangelicalism and how harmful such philosophies can be. Seed faith being one of those examples. My father is a Pentecostal preacher and my mom had me and my sister confirmed Lutheran at a church close to the trailer park we lived in.

So needless to say tv evangelism was very present in our lives. It was nice getting to see all the things I witnessed as a kid be put out in front of me and discussed. I found this book conceptually unique and think it'd be great as a RiffTrax sort of thing. The takeawaysare the most important part of the book for me. Reading about TBN programming made me grateful for my theological framework, as it is today, but this book also made me realize that I'm on the outside looking in when it comes to the TBN brand of theology and I'm okay with that.

It was nice to read about Evangelical Christianity without animosity. Sep 16, Ron Hoffman rated it it was amazing. May 26, Matt Diaz rated it it was amazing. I'm glad she did this little experiment in my place. Sep 06, Derek rated it liked it Shelves: Shortly after reading Bolz-Weber's Pastrix , I discovered that she had written a book several years earlier in which she had chosen to endure 24 consecutive hours of the Trinity Broadcast Network and then to write about her experience.

The result is Salvation on the Small Screen , a stream-of-consciousness memoir of her viewings and thoughts that day, as well as highlights of the conversations she had with the various friends and family members who joined her at different points during the day. The Shortly after reading Bolz-Weber's Pastrix , I discovered that she had written a book several years earlier in which she had chosen to endure 24 consecutive hours of the Trinity Broadcast Network and then to write about her experience.

Salvation on the Small Screen?: 24 Hours of Christian Television - eBook

The resulting book is entertaining, but somewhat underwhelming. There is much of Bolz-Weber's well-known sarcasm here, but it's not quite as overt as it has become in the ensuing years. There are hints of the way she will write in the future, but it feels like she was either holding back not that likely or that she didn't quite know who she was as a writer just yet far more likely. I would not be surprised, actually, if she had similar observations about her own book, because I know I feel that way about my own past writing a lot of the time.

There are a lot of really interesting observations here, particularly as she attempts to interpret the Evangelical-Pentecostal-fundamentalism of TBN from the perspective of a Lutheran raised in the Church of Christ, but it felt like a lot of those thoughts were abbreviated and could have been expanded as she has in subsequent blogs and books.

I was particularly disappointed that there was not as much of a conclusion of her observations of TBN as I had hoped there would be; there is a small epilogue, but I had wanted more.

Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television

That said, what is here is very enjoyable. She has some keen observations about the issues of the theology of the prosperity gospel, the use of Jesus as little more than a talisman rather than the incarnated Christ, the ways in which the Spirit is invoked, and the relationship of TBN to world issues. I was surprised that she manages to not be entirely cynical about TBN and the entire exercise I'm not sure I could manage such a feat , and that she also finds a few things to praise about the network and what they are accomplishing - though those accolades are usually highly contextualized and qualified as a result of the choices that TBN makes.

The book is an entertaining, though light, read, and it does provide hints of who Bolz-Weber would become over the next decade.

Wednesday Night Dome Speaker - Nadia Bolz-Weber

It is interesting that she refers to starting her church in this book, as her breakthrough Pastrix is all about the first five years of that community, and some of the people she writes about in this book feature in her future writings. Dec 30, Ellen rated it it was amazing Shelves: I read this book on a car trip from Florida to Wisconsin to a very captive audience.

The five star rating is from all three of us, each of very different Christians, demographically speaking. I don't know that you can get much more diverse than that carload. Salvation on the Small Screen is one heck of a book. Nadia Bolz-Weber asks some very thoughtful questions about what makes programming "Christian" and what the merits of these kinds of shows actually are.

In my opinion, the book ends up being a condemnation of "prosperity gospel". The author points out several problems with this idea both on a theological level and a psychological level. Namely the problematic idea that, if you are blessed with the things that you want, does that mean that the poor, the hungry, and the homeless who are Christian, have less faith, aren't praying hard enough, and aren't favored by God? It's a very upsetting idea that they're peddling. This book is a very thought provoking read. The chapters are broken up into small sections that summarizes one television program at a time, and then sums it up for theological content and adds the author's personal thoughts.

She's thoughtful, wonderfully snarky, and in touch with humanity- just the kind of pastor I'd want. Jan 06, Jake rated it really liked it Shelves: Bolz-Weber does not disappoint, her theology and my own are very similar and I greatly enjoyed her sense of humor and candid insights in watching TBN for hours. She is certainly braver than I. My one issue with the book is that she talks about the distance in theological communication between mainline denominations Lutherans, Epi As a just-graduated ELCA seminarian, I was really interested to read this book after hearing about it in one of my classes as it was written by an ELCA Pastor.

My one issue with the book is that she talks about the distance in theological communication between mainline denominations Lutherans, Episcopals,etc. For instance, at one part she calls a brave woman on screen "a true theologian of the Cross.


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Sadly, she did not. It seems like she would assume the reader's perspective often shares her own. But that is the only issue I had of what was otherwise a very fun and engaging read. Having grown up in and around evangelical communities despite being Lutheran, I would agree with her that despite the differences in theology, everyone has a role to share in the Body of Christ. Sep 08, Catherine Belles rated it really liked it Shelves: This is an older book and was a delight to read. A good choice for the summer.

I have nothing against religious programs per se but for the most part I just don't find them interesting. Would she try and see the positives or would she only focus on the negatives which so many liberal Christians This is an older book and was a delight to read. Would she try and see the positives or would she only focus on the negatives which so many liberal Christians love to point out. She pointed out the money issue but also that there are no other ads. There are some terrible programs but also some excellent programs.

There was a strong presentation on race that she wished liberals had done. And of course she was hysterical and wry while doing it. Loved this and enjoyed it as a summer read. Jan 10, Jay Butler rated it it was amazing. The book offers a unique scenario: What happens to a person when they watch 24 hours of TBN through a progressive theological lens?

Bolz-Weber does an excellent job weaving humor, theological discourse, and introspection. There is some NSFW language because that's Bolz-Weber's cup of tea, but it is a fantastic book because it made me become introspective of my evangelical upbringing clashing with my current mainline Protestant, liberal thought. It's a unique, interesting book, and it's a quick an The book offers a unique scenario: It's a unique, interesting book, and it's a quick and funny read!

Dec 20, Robin Warden rated it liked it. If you find yourself intrigued, aghast, agog by the likes of Paula White, Joe The premise: Sep 22, Shari rated it liked it. I had a ton of fun reading this book; it would have come in handy back in college when I wrote my final paper for Mass Media on televangelism.

The typos in this book -- while obviously not the fault of Ms. Bolz-Weber -- drove me a little crazy. May 20, Traci rated it really liked it. I recently heard about Nadia while doing research into returning to church and love her theologic point of view and faith.

This book was an interesting look into TBN and what they are offering the public about Christianity. Although this book was written about a 24 hour period that occured nearly 6 years ago, after flipping TBN on today, I'd say the same ideals still ring true. And her snarky commentary was hilarious!

Can't wait for her memoir in September! Aug 13, Caroline rated it really liked it. A funny book for sure. I really enjoyed the author's sarcastic comments as well as those of her friends - each taking shifts during the 24 hour watch-a-thon. The author does more, though, than just poke fun of the TBN televangelists - all easy targets. Many of the snarky comments are followed by real introspection often leading to honest dialogue with her fellow TBN watchers Christians, Jews, and atheists about the varying beliefs within Christianity. Now that is refreshing. It was hard enough to read about; I can only imagine what it was like to actually watch But I love how she is able to humbly ponder some of the 'good' that TBN has to offer, while acknowledging the holes in her own denomination.

Nov 04, Bobby rated it it was ok Shelves: Although an interesting experiment, it relied too much on snarky judgements and sarcasm. The author's valuable contemplations on topics such as healing and pneumatology were appreciated but too few. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign in or create an account. Search by title, catalog stock , author, isbn, etc. Salvation on the Small Screen? Product Close-up This product is not available for expedited shipping. A Very Critical Introduction.

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Salvation on the Small Screen: 24 Hours of Christian Television by Nadia Bolz-Weber

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